A happy ending for a tough situation

Just around ten months ago, I dropped everything to travel across the country to rescue a young adult DireWolf Dog named Max.

He was pushy, selfish, and refused to listen to anyone.

Basically…

a typical teenager.

On my way home, I upset him and he struck at me with his massive pearly whites.

I knew he didn’t mean to hurt me, but his pent up anxiety at leaving everything he knew and being thrust into a confusing situation of traveling with a stranger for days was extremely taxing on him emotionally.

But the truth is… any adult transition with a highly intelligent, emotionally sensitive dog can be pretty difficult.

It takes time and patience to allow the dog to grieve its old life, but also to develop a relationship with the people in its new life.

Because Max isn’t the typical submissive DireWolf Dog, I wasn’t sure I could place him.

He eventually came to really like it here at Dire Wolf Project headquarters.

He built a rock solid bond with both Jay and I, trusting us for all his needs.

Max is truly a great dog inside, he just needed someone to be the leader so that he could fall back into the much more secure position of follower.

He trusted us completely.

I knew that for Max’s sake, I needed to be very picky about which person could match Max’s specific needs.

Truth be told, I wasn’t sure I could find the right placement.

I was prepared to have Max live out his days at Dire Wolf Project headquarters, if that’s what it took.

Then, last spring, I received a wonderful inquiry from a young man with a German Shepherd Dog background dealing with reactive dogs.

He wanted a giant silver male DireWolf Dog, but also had the energy and drive to handle a DireWolf Dog that needed a special home that understood his sensitive, but cocky, ways.

After speaking with this young twenty-five year old from Chicago, I knew  this was Max’s opportunity.

The heavens had brought Max another chance at a loving home where he could receive the one-on-one attention he desperately craved.

There was just one thing…

Max either loves you or hates you.

There is no in between.

And Max is a very effective communicator.

Was Max going to like this new person, or would he despise the young man and want nothing to do with him?

Jay, Max, and his new person spent FOUR HOURS together two days ago to make sure everything went smoothly with the transition.

Jay instructed Max’s new friend not to interact with Max until Max came up to him on his own.

After thirty minutes of walking at the park, they all stopped at a park bench for a break.

Max was the perfect gentleman.

He came up to the young man and asked for pets with a wonderful relaxed tail wag.

Now, the work of getting to know one another began.

They walked together down the park path while Jay stayed behind on the bench.

Max went willingly.

They walked into the apartment building and onto the elevator.

Max was unsure on the ride up, but once in the apartment, he explored all around.

His sniffer smelled the cat, the crate, the couch, and the kitchen.

Then, when he was satisfied, Max came up to his new friend again asking for more pets.

Without being pushy or forceful, Max’s new person allowed their budding relationship to grow.

There will be ups and downs on this new journey of learning about one another.

But Max has firmly decided that he loves the city park, doesn’t mind the cat, and wants to learn all about his new friend.

When Jay walked out of the apartment door to head back to the car, Max didn’t pay him any mind.

Max was finally home.

What an amazing feeling it is to be able to give Max a second chance at a loving home with a person to call his own.

I haven’t really thought about it in this way before, but Jay and I are match-makers.

Instead of matching humans to their perfect partners, we match dogs with their perfect families.

It is such an honor.

My heart is full knowing Max is now where he belongs.

If you would like to give an older dog a chance to be in a loving home where they can receive the one-on-one attention they deserve, we have a few adults that are looking for the right families to love them.

Consider a dog that is already potty-trained, house-trained, crate-trained, leash-trained, and has a mature mind to problem-solve and learn new routines with ease.

Click the link below to see the adult dogs currently looking for their forever homes.

https://direwolfdogs.com/dogs-for-sale/adults/

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.